The title is somewhat misleading, since the perfect patio fountain depends on your needs and preferences. But, I’ll break down the options for fountains for your patio to help you in your search for the perfect fountain.
There are basically four types of fountains for the outdoors: tabletop fountain, wall fountain, floor fountain, or tiered fountain. What they are is pretty much described in their names. If you don’t have a lot of room, a tabletop fountain is great on a shelf, end table, or coffee table in your patio area. If your really don’t have a lot of room, a wall fountain is an unobtrusive alternative, using your wall space and is elevated to avoid foot traffic. A floor fountain is great if you have a “bald spot” in your patio décor—it great for filling corner or dead space in a room. A tiered fountain is usually placed in the garden or grassy area next to your patio as they are pretty big and grand.
Material
As far as outdoor fountains go, there’s pretty much only a few materials regularly used: stone, fiberglass, or resin. There are variances in-between those materials, but those are the basic things designers use for a durable outdoor fountain. Stone is awesome, but heavy—and shipping is usually pretty expensive. Fiberglass and resin are lighter and cheaper, and they can easily be textured to look like real stone, wood, or most anything else. Because they’re so easy to work with, most of the intricate and detailed fountains are made from these two materials. Stone is laborious to craft, and it also adds to the cost of the fountain.
Outdoor fountains can be electric, solar, or battery powered. There are fountains that use both solar and battery power, which is convenient. But, depending on if you have outlets or good sun exposure, you can choose what kind of power you would like for a fountain.
Those are the basic details you need to decide for the “perfect” patio fountain. From there, you just search for a design which speaks to you.